What the Sea Took Away

“Julian Crane, that's what's wrong” Brian seethed. “He accused me of trying to scam the Cranes out of money by using his sister's disappearance. He thinks I have an impostor lurking just to get my hands on the Crane fortune.”

“Yeah” He sounded like he really cared all right. Don't you think her brother would jump at the idea that his sister might be alive? I know I would and that sorry bastard acted irate that I would even mention the idea.”

Brian shook his head and glanced over at the still unconscious woman lying peacefully on the bed. “There was more to it than that. It was almost as if… Almost as if he was glad she was dead and scared to death she might be alive.”

“I don't know” Brian said shaking his head. He made it perfectly clear to me they had dental records and fingerprints that matched a dead body that was found in the waters after the hurricane. Can you believe they had her cremated only hours after she was identified?”

“Now how could they possibly have identified a body as Sheridan Crane's when this is Sheridan Crane right here?” Doc asked waving his hand in Sheridan's direction.

Doc looked at Sheridan thoughtfully and slowly shook his head. “There is no doubt in my mind. I've seen her picture hundreds of times in the paper and in magazines. That is Sheridan Crane.”

“Good question Bri” Doc said. “But, I think we need to ID this woman just to make sure. I'm going to take her fingerprints while she's still out. I read that she was involved with the FBI for awhile there and I'm sure they have her fingerprints on file. I still have a friend at the bureau and I'll see if he can get a match for me.”

“Well, if she is Sheridan Crane, I think she is much safer here with us than going back to her family if Julian is any indication of the family she had to deal with.”

“Well he couldn't have loved her that much or he would have found her. I know I would have, Nothing, not even a death certificate would make me give up looking for a woman as beautiful as she is.”

Luis sat at his desk at the Harmony Police Department staring at a pile of paperwork in front of him. Sam had allowed him to come back to work only after Luis pleaded with him to do so. Sam's heart went out to Luis. He knew how madly and passionately in love with Sheridan Crane Luis had been. He'd known since he saw the two of them dance a tango at Pilar's birthday party two years earlier. He'd seen it in Luis' eyes. He'd warned him about the Cranes. He knew first hand what an involvement with someone in that family would cause… nothing but heartbreak. How well he knew that feeling.

Sam sat across the room and watched his friend in agony. There was nothing he could say or do to make it better. Sheridan was dead, really dead this time. He watched Luis grieve once before when he thought she'd been killed by the drug cartel and as broken up as he was at the time, it paled in comparison to what he was watching in front of him right now. Luis was a shell of his former self. Sam knew he'd never be able to move on with his life like he had. It took Sam years to get over Ivy, but he met Grace and fell in love all over again. He didn't hold out hope for Luis. He was afraid that Luis was destined to mourn the death of his one true love all the days of his life. He shook his head sadly. It hurt him to see Luis like this.

Sam stood up from his desk and walked over to Luis' desk. As he approached, he noticed he was no longer staring blankly at the file folders scattered across his desk, but holding a picture of Sheridan that he'd kept secretly in the upper right hand desk drawer since he came back from New Mexico nearly two years ago. The picture would later adorn the top of his desk, but for months Luis kept it hidden from everyone. Sam smiled remembering catching Luis pulling it out one evening when he thought everyone was gone. He never told Luis he'd seen that.

“Hey Sam” Luis said smiling weakly. He placed the silver framed photo back on the corner of his desk, fingering the glass slightly before returning his attention to Sam. “I was just going over these cases. Making sure all the T's are crossed and I's dotted.”

“Sam, when can I get back out on patrol?” Luis asked. “This desk duty is going to kill me.” Truthfully Luis wouldn't have minded that so much. If it did kill him which he knew it wouldn't, it meant he could be with his beloved Sheridan. He glanced wistfully over at her picture before looking back at Sam.

“When you're ready Luis” Sam stated matter-of-factly. Sam didn't have the heart to tell him that he wasn't fit to return to duty. It was all he could do to convince the mayor that Luis was able to handle the desk position. “You're not ready. You know that as well as I.”

Luis felt like Sam had slapped him in the face. “Easier? Easier?” Luis' voice was rising and Sam didn't like where this conversation was heading. “Sam, it will never get easier. As a matter of fact, it gets worse. The pain multiplies each day. Sam, I swear she calls to me in my dreams to save her, rescue her. It's killing me.”

Sam didn't know what to say. This was worse than he thought. “I'm sorry Luis” was all he managed to say and walked away. Sam hoped and prayed that a small piece of Luis would come back soon. Because if it didn't… Sam shook his head. He didn't want to think about that right now.

“Where are Brian and Diana?” Doc asked as he walked into the hotel lobby. He'd stopped by to see how his famous patient was doing, but found her room vacant as well as Brian's.

“Now, it doesn't mean that's where the name came from, but it could be that somewhere in that jumbled mind of hers she remembered that friendship or maybe a feeling that went along with the name Diana. It's not uncommon in severe amnesia patients. When Brian asked her what she wanted to be called, she immediately said Diana.”

Doc sighed heavily. “I'm not sure. I know it will kill Brian if we take her home. Normally I would say she needs to be with her family, but if she IS Sheridan Crane, which I believe she is, then I don't like the idea that she has been identified through dental records and fingerprints. That is impossible, which means that someone did it deliberately to make it look like she was dead. I did read the boat she was on exploded. There was no mention of a bomb, but the Cranes are powerful and hiding information like that from the press wouldn't be difficult.”

“Why would anyone want to kill that beautiful woman?” Liz asked in disgust. “I know I have no idea what she was like before Brian found her, but I can't imagine her having a mean bone in her body.”

“Thank you Brian” Sheridan smiled quietly as she soaked in her surroundings. “Thank you for taking me here today. It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air again. She didn't realize how much she'd missed the outdoors. Wait; did she even like the outdoors before? She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything and it was becoming increasingly frustrating for her. All she had were feelings. Feelings of pain and abandonment, feelings of love. A great love.

“You're welcome Diana” Brian smiled. He couldn't help himself when he was around her. He wanted to smile all the time when Diana was near him. She brightened up his otherwise dismal life. She was a ray of sunshine to him. He only wished she would return his feelings. He knew she was thinking about him again. She had that faraway look that she got every time she'd talk about him. “What are you thinking about?” He asked. He hated to, but felt he had to. She had to deal with this much like he'd had to deal with a similar event years earlier.

Sheridan shook her head in wonderment as her gaze shifted out into the deep blue ocean. “I can't stop thinking about him. I don't even know who he is or what he looks like, but just that he exists” Sheridan said absentmindedly. “It's as if we met in another lifetime.”

“Why do you say that Brian?” Sheridan asked, turning her attention to his dazzling blue eyes. Sheridan was very grateful to Brian for everything he'd done for her, but couldn't return his affection. At least not yet. Maybe in time, but she wasn't ready. There was still something nagging at her.

“I just can't believe that if you had this great love with a man like you believe you did that he wouldn't have found you. We checked and there are no missing person reports. All of the missing people after the hurricane have been accounted for.” Brian didn't bother to share Doc's suspicions with her. He for one refused to believe it until he was shown absolute proof. After all, Sheridan Crane's brother told him his sister had been identified and cremated.

Sheridan sadly returned her gaze to the ocean. She sighed wondering if Brian was right, yet she couldn't help the feeling that there was someone out there, someone who loved her like no other. `If you're out there' she said silently, `please find me.'

“SHERIDAN!!!!” Luis screamed, waking up from the living room couch drenched in sweat. “Sheridan” he said again as he fought to get his breathing under control. Luis sat up and rested his head in his hands slicking back his matted locks of black hair.

“Mijo?” Pilar said with concern, rushing into the living room from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner. “Are you all right? I heard you scream Sheridan's name.”

“Mijo, I am so sorry” Pilar said. She sat on the couch next to her son deeply concerned. These dreams of his were becoming more frequent. “Maybe I should call Eve and see if she can prescribe a mild sedative for you. You haven't slept in weeks.”

“No Mama” Luis said adamantly. “I don't want a sedative. I want Sheridan. That's all I want.” He stood up from the couch. “I'm going to take a shower.” Luis was just about to head upstairs to drown his troubles under a hot spray when the telephone rang.

“Sam, not now. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.” Sam had been right when he sent Luis home early today. He wasn't in the mood to be around people.

“Hal?” Luis asked is shock. “I'll be right there.” Luis hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket from the couch where it lay. “I'll be back later, Mama. The FBI needs to see me. It might be about Sheridan.” Without looking back, Luis raced out the door. This was a sign, he knew it was.

Pilar shook her head sadly. Her heart ached for her son. When Martin disappeared he'd taken it hard. Harder than all the rest, but that was nothing compared to what he was going through right now. Pilar hated to think of what might become of her son if he didn't stop having these dreams that Sheridan was calling him, or the fantasies that she will someday return to him. This was not good. Not good at all.

“Great!” Doc said standing up nearly kicking over his chair in his rush to the front desk. He took the papers Liz held in front of her and examined them.

Doc ignored Liz for the moment and continued to read. He chuckled slightly. “It seems as if my friend wants me to figure it out. He sent me a copy of her fingerprints and I have to do the comparison.”

“Liz, I did have a class or two in forensics in med school. I think I can do a simple fingerprint analysis” He said sarcastically. “I'm taking these papers back to my room. I'll let you know when I've examined it further. In the mean time, did you ever find any of those old magazines? Somewhere on this island there has to be a picture of Sheridan Crane. Whether her family hated the media or not, the paparazzi is usually pretty good.”

“Not yet” Liz sighed, “but I'll keep looking.” Doc left to compare the finger prints while Liz walked into the back room in search of some old magazines.

“I'm here Sam” Luis said breathlessly as he breezed into the stationhouse as if on a mission. Luis was sure Hal's visit was good news. Maybe he'd found out something about Sheridan. Maybe she'd been found.

“Thanks Sam” Luis answered going directly into Sam's office. The same expressionless face greeted him he'd seen many times before. “Agent Freeman” Luis said anxiously when their eyes met.

“I was in Boston when I heard the news of Miss Crane's death” Hal said quietly. “I was shocked to say the least.” Hal paused for a moment. He'd seen a look of hope in Luis' eyes when he walked in, but that look was all but gone now. All that remained was despair. “I am so sorry, Luis. Truly sorry.”

“Thank you Agent Freeman” Luis replied, his head facing the floor. A tear threatened to escape and Luis didn't want Hal to see it. Luis was so sure Hal was there with news of Sheridan.

“I must tell you Luis, in all my years I have never seen a couple who affected each other quite the way you and Miss Crane did” Freeman continued with a glint in his eyes. “For awhile there I thought the two of you might kill each other and save the drug cartel the trouble, but it didn't take long to find out why. I've never seen two people who fought their feelings as strongly and as long as you two.”

A faint smile came to Luis' face. “Yeah, we did” he said wistfully, his mind obviously remembering his time as Sheridan's body guard. “We sure did get to each other.”

“She loved you Luis” Hal said gently. “She told me so before…” His voice trailed off. Hal was trying to think of a nice way of wording what happened last Christmas with the whole buried alive fiasco, but the words escaped him.

“Before she was buried alive” Luis finished. “You can say it Hal. At one time I thought I could never feel as much pain as I did during that time. I was wrong.”

Hal looked at Luis, sympathy deep in his eyes. “I know how you felt about her Luis and I am so very sorry. You didn't deserve this, Miss Crane didn't deserve this either.”

“Did you know I proposed to her?” Luis asked smiling as memories assaulted him. His eyes filled with tears, now unable to control them and not caring that Hal saw.

“Yeah well, I never did get the chance to make her my wife” Luis choked out. “We almost got married, but due to circumstances….. We decided to wait. We thought we had all the time in the world, you know?”

The two men stood in silence for a moment, Luis lost in memories, Hal focused on a small package on the corner of Sam's desk. “Luis” Hal said slowly, picking up the manila envelope from the desk and staring intently at it. “When I heard about Miss Crane's death, I remembered something she gave me last year before we faked her death.” Hal handed the package to a perplexed Luis.

“Your fiancée made this and insisted I hold onto it. I was to give it to you if something happened and she didn't make it out of the coffin alive. Considering the circumstances that arose after that whole disaster, I didn't have the time at first and later the need to give it to you. By some miracle she survived. I know she did this last year and it might be a little outdated, but I thought you might like to have it.”

Hal met Luis' gaze. “She knew the danger of the situation and she refused to continue with our plan unless we allowed her to make this video. She wanted one last chance to say goodbye in case something happened.”

“I appreciate it Agent Freeman” Luis replied. He offered a feigned smile to Hal and turned, walking out of Sam's office. Hal sighed heavily, his heart heavy watching the sadness in Luis' eyes. He'd never seen a man in as much pain as Luis at the moment. He only hoped that given time, he would learn to accept this and some how get on with his life.

Brian grinned happily, but refused to remove his hands from Sheridan's waist. He was happier than he could ever remember being. “It's a surprise,” he whispered in her ear. “Just wait, you'll see.” Brian kissed her cheek lightly and raised the blindfold, covering her eyes. “You have to trust me on this one, Diana.”

“Is the blindfold necessary?” Sheridan asked. Her head was beginning to pound, but she didn't want to hurt Brian's feelings. He'd been nothing but kind to her and she knew he would never hurt her.

“Yep” Brian chuckled, taking her hand in his. “I promise it will all be worth it.” He began leading Sheridan down a narrow path through the thick foliage. Sheridan could hear the birds singing and feel the warmth of the sun on her face, but the pounding in her head was getting louder. She smiled, not wanting to upset Brian by telling him about her headache, but the ache was getting stronger.

Sheridan bit her lip when a shooting pain seared through her head. A flash went through her head. A flash of a happy time in her life. A feeling of excitement and utter bliss. Sheridan closed her eyes tightly under the blindfold trying to remember, Desperate to remember. She saw it. A ring being slipped on her finger. Her heart soared with excitement. She looked up. There were rose petals everywhere.

For a brief moment, Sheridan remembered and then as quickly as the memory came it faded. She sighed disappointed she couldn't recall more. The feeling was one of overwhelming love.

Sheridan opened her eyes and stared in awe at the sight in front of her. She momentarily forgot about her memory. “It's beautiful!” She smiled. For the first time she heard the rushing water that was cascading down the slope of the rocky hillside. A small waterfall rushed into a pool of sparkling blue water surrounded by the most beautiful flora she'd ever seen. Vines and bushes of different shades of pinks whites, purples and reds surrounded them. The falling waters turning to a foamy white when it landed in the small pond that rushed past them into a small stream.

“Hardly” Brian said. “I haven't shared this place with anyone in years.” His heart pounding, Brian reached over to a nearby rose bush and pulled a perfectly formed white rose from the branch. He handed Sheridan the rose.

“Thank you” She smiled, but the smile was short lived when another searing pain shot through her head with blinding force, causing Sheridan to drop the rose and fall to the ground clasping the sides of her head, her face contorted in pain.

“Hi Luis” Sheridan said. She sat on the blue couch in her cottage, her legs comfortably under her. The same couch he'd slept on so many nights as her body guard.

He watched, tears streaming down his face as her expression turned from happy to sad. “I have to assume if you are watching this tape that Hal and Hank's plan didn't work out the way we intended. Luis, I am so sorry.”

“Where do I begin, my darling. I have to apologize to you for the pain you must be going through right now. Truly I didn't want to cause you any pain. I never meant for this to happen, but your reaction needed to be real, or Roger and Pierre might not show themselves. I don't know what happened, but I can only imagine. I don't want to dwell on that right now Luis. I have no intention of dying, but I wanted to make this tape for you just in case.”

Luis continued brushing the tears away, not aware his mother had entered the room. She heard Sheridan's voice from the kitchen and came in to see what was going on. She felt a stabbing pain in her heart watching her son in so much pain as he stared at his fiancée on the tape. Silently she watched from the doorway, tears now falling down her own cheeks.

“Luis, there is so much unsaid between us and I needed the chance to tell you how I really feel. I'm sure one day soon we will have the courage to admit to each other how we feel. As a matter of fact, I plan to tell you as soon as this whole ordeal is finished, but if for some reason I don't get the chance, you need to know.”

A smile now adorned Sheridan's face. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she stared into the camera. Luis sobbed watching, his mother now stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders.

“Luis, you have brought me so much happiness and joy into my life I can't begin to tell you. From the day I met you, you've stirred emotions deep inside me. She laughed happily. “True, at first those emotions were anger, like when you had the nerve to arrest me for hitting your police car. Don't forget buddy, you were parked in the middle of the road.”

Luis laughed through his tears. He couldn't help it. Her eyes danced with mischief, a look he remembered well and ached to see again. “Not quite Crane!” He laughed back at the TV.

“But as angry as I was at you, there was something there. I hated myself for the feelings I had for you that first night in the jail cell. Do you remember that, Luis? I had a nightmare and you comforted me?”

Luis smiled. He continued to watch, as a slight blush crept into her cheeks. “Luis what I'm trying to tell you…” She laughed. “I'm talking to a tape that you're never going to see and I still can't say it out loud. What's wrong with me?”

“Luis, I love you” Sheridan finally said. A brilliant smile lit up her face as the words easily flowed from her mouth. ”There, I said it. I love you! I love you! I love you!” Sheridan was positively giddy.

“Looking back on it, I think I knew I loved you the first time you held me in your arms and looked into my eyes. Have I told you, you have the most incredibly gorgeous eyes I've ever seen? I could look into your eyes for the rest of my life and never tire.”

Sheridan looked away from the camera and Luis could see her frown. She looked back and smiled once again. “I'm getting the evil eye from Hal, my love so I guess I have to wrap this up. I love you Luis Lopez Fitzgerald. I love you with all of my heart and soul.”

Unconsciously Pilar wrapped her arms protectively around her son. She wanted to spare him more pain, but at the moment, she couldn't do that. All she could do was share his pain and be there for him. Pilar prayed silently that God help her son deal with this. For all practicality, her son had died right along with Sheridan and she didn't know if he would ever come back.

Pilar didn't know how long she sat there cradling her son. His raw pain tugged at her heart in a way she hadn't experienced since her husband's disappearance and even at that, she'd always held out hope for his return. There'd been no death certificate, no burial nor cremation which always gave her the hope that someday, somehow her beloved would return to her.

She glanced down at the sleeping figure, his head in her lap and her hand absentmindedly reached out and stroked his thick black hair. “My poor baby” Pilar whispered as she continued to soothingly stroke his head. As a mother, Pilar wanted nothing more than to spare her children the pain from life's events such as this, but try as she might, there was nothing she could do for Luis right now. She could offer him no hope for a future with his beloved. Sheridan hadn't simply disappeared like Martin and Antonio, she'd died. A senseless death in a boating accident, but nonetheless her body had been recovered, identified and cremated.

Pilar cursed the Crane family for their heartless goodbye to the only decent member of that family. Having her body cremated only hours after certifying her death was barely enough time to even start the grieving process, never mind come to acceptance. Her anger built when she thought about the almighty Alistair Crane ordering his only daughter be cremated immediately and could only imagine he had done this deliberately to hurt Luis as much as he could. She'd always known he was a cruel man, but this was the ultimate act of cruelty.

Pilar prayed once again for God to spare her son this unbearable pain. She'd been raised to believe he was a forgiving and merciful Lord and with that being the case, He must be there to help her son. At the very least, there had to be a reason for all of this. Luis stirred in her arms and mumbled Sheridan's name. Pilar sighed deeply. “He must be dreaming about her again” she whispered, continuing to lovingly stroke his hair and hold him close. “Dream well Mijo. Dream well.”

“Enjoy your stay” Liz smiled to her new guests as she handed the happy couple a key to their room. She shook her head as she watched them leave arm in arm. “Must be on their honeymoon” she chuckled after they'd disappeared down the hallway. As soon as she uttered the words she had a flash of Sheridan Crane on her honeymoon with the man of her dreams. Brian was so sure this woman wasn't the heiress from the wealthy Crane family. After all, Julian Crane had insisted long ago that his sister has been cremated. That was all Brian had to hear. As far as he was concerned, Sheridan being caught in his net was the sea's ultimate gift to him, but he didn't want to think about what the sea took away from another. He refused to think about it.

“Something tells me you are going to be hurt Brian” Liz mumbled. She was older and wiser than Brian and knew there was no such thing as a free lunch and also knew the family Crane was not what they appeared. Alistair Crane may be one of the most rich and powerful men in the country, but he was also one of the most ruthless and something told Liz that his daughter's death wasn't all that it seemed.

Liz cleared the desk in front of her and wondered what was keeping Doc. It had been awhile since he left to compare the fingerprints his friend at the FBI sent him to those taken from Diana. She didn't have time to think about that however as Doc appeared before her with both sets of prints in hand and an unreadable expression on his face.

“I meant exactly what I said Chief” Hal stated flatly, shoving his hands further into the pockets of his trench coat. “The boating accident that killed Sheridan Crane was not an accident.”

“Hal, how could you possibly know that?” Sam asked. “From what I heard the boat was totally destroyed in the explosion and then there was the hurricane. Luis had no idea what caused the explosion. Truthfully, he's been too distraught to think clearly about it, but I would think if they saw a bomb…”

“Chief Bennett” Hal interrupted, “Even though the case against Roger and Pierre was closed, it doesn't mean that we didn't still have Sheridan Crane under surveillance…”

“Not exactly watching her” Hal explained calmly. “Even though Roger and Pierre are behind bars, there are still several rogue members of his drug operation out there. They were really unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but the FBI and DEA still want to know their whereabouts. Miss Crane is the key witness against their leaders and there was a slim possibility that she was still a target, purely for revenge sake.”

“As I said Chief, it wasn't a large threat. A very tiny one in fact. That's why we still kept Miss Crane's file opened and kept her under surveillance part of the time. We would check up on her from time to time and in the last nine months, found absolutely no suspicious activity.”

Sam shook his head in confusion. “Let me see if I get this straight. There are still members of the drug cartel out there that you believe might have possibly sought revenge on Sheridan for testifying against their bosses? But in all the time you've had her under surveillance you've not seen anyone that might pose a threat from the drug cartel?”

“We have several men in Bermuda” Hal explained. “There are other drug cartels out there besides the one Roger and Pierre operated and the one in Bermuda has increased its activity in the last few months. When we learned that Officer Lopez Fitzgerald and Miss Crane were taking their honeymoon in Bermuda the agents were asked to keep an eye out for them. After the accident, our agents with the full cooperation of the Bermuda government quietly investigated the explosion. There were remnants of a bomb found.”

“Trust me Chief Bennett, we have our ways. The only thing that is important here is that the drug cartel in Bermuda had nothing to do with the bomb and none of the men who were once associated with Roger and Pierre were involved.”

Sam couldn't believe this. The whole thing was surreal to him. “So if it wasn't drug related, then who planted the bomb? Who would want Sheridan Crane dead?”

“That is the million dollar question, now isn't it?” Hal answered. For that he didn't have an answer. At least not one that anyone would ever believe.

“Diana! Diana!” Brian called in frustration. Sheridan didn't stir. She remained unconscious on the ground as Brian frantically tried to revive her. Gently he caressed her face talking to her soothingly hoping his words and the sound of his voice would cause her to come around.

“She's so cold” Brian muttered noticing the feel of her skin under his caress. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms hoping to increase her circulation. Nothing worked.

“Damn” he worried. “I guess I'd better get you back to the hotel my sweet Diana. Doc'll know what to do.” As gently as possible Brian lifted Sheridan in his arms and carried her back down the path, the foliage becoming thicker, the calming waterfall becoming a distant memory. A feeling of euphoria overtook Brian when Sheridan snuggled closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was comforted that even in her unconscious state she felt at ease with him… trusted him.

Luis stirred frantically until he sat upright on the couch. “Sheridan” he mumbled as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. He looked over and saw his mother sitting on the couch next to him calmly rubbing his back.

“Mama! Luis exclaimed. “Mama, it wasn't a nightmare. It was Sheridan. She's alive. I know she's alive and she's in Bermuda. Mama, Sheridan's not dead. She's still alive and waiting for me to come rescue her!”

“Oh my God!” Liz exclaimed. “Doc, I know all the evidence pointed to it, our evidence that is, but the fact remains that Julian Crane assured Brian that his sister Sheridan was dead! They cremated the body.”

“I can't explain Julian Crane right now Liz” Doc said. “The only thing I can tell you is that woman that Brian is hopelessly in love with is none other than Alistair Crane's daughter, Sheridan.

“Of course she does, Liz” Doc said. “But before we rush into this, I want to find out just what we are dealing with here. Rumor on Bermuda is that that boat didn't explode on accident. And why is it that her family has proof of her death, enough so to convince her fiancé she was truly dead? Something isn't right with this whole scenario.”

“Yeah. She thought it was beautiful. I picked a rose from a nearby bush and handed it to her and the next thing I knew, she was on the ground clutching her head. I couldn't wake her.”

“No Luis, Sheridan is dead” Pilar said anxiously. Her son was now scaring her. Luis had always been the levelheaded member of the family. He kept his head about him when no one else managed to. Luis was never one to give into fantasy, that was always Theresa and Luis was the one to try and ground her to reality. She shook her head sadly her eyes linked to her son's eyes which were now sparked with hope.

“Yes Mama” Luis said, a renewed sense of hope coursing through his veins. “Sheridan is alive. She's out there waiting for me to come and rescue her.”

“I know Mama” Luis said, momentarily feeling his heart ripping apart. No, he couldn't think about that. There had to be some mistake. “I can't explain it Mama. Really I can't. I just know she's alive out there somewhere waiting for me. Please try to understand.”

But Pilar couldn't understand. “If you hadn't identified the body. If the dental records and fingerprints hadn't matched, I'd be the first to believe it was possible for Sheridan to survive that storm and the explosion, but Luis, this is impossible.”

“Mama, it was impossible to believe that I'd ever fall in love with a Crane, wasn't it? You know how I feel about them. What about me allowing Ethan to marry Theresa? That was an impossible feat as well. Then of course there was Sheridan being buried alive. Do you remember Eve declaring her dead in the cemetery? Then she started breathing, we brought her to the hospital and were told she had permanent brain damage, she'd never be the same again? It was impossible to think that she'd walk into church Christmas Eve, but she did Mama. Nothing is impossible. She's alive. I know she's alive.”

Luis knew his mother didn't believe one word he said, but he was convinced now more than ever that Sheridan was out there, somewhere waiting for him. “Mama, I know you think I've lost it. You think I've gone over the deep end believing that Sheridan is still alive, but I haven't.”

“Luis, what am I supposed to think when my normally level headed son has himself convinced that the woman he loved, the woman who died tragically is still alive? Luis, you called the Harmony PD yourself and asked that the records be faxed. When the doctor announced his findings, you didn't believe him and compared the records yourself. You admitted the records matched. Mijo, you are worrying me.”

Luis closed his eyes, sighing deeply. He looked into his mother's sad eyes and knew he had to get through to her, to make her believe he wasn't crazy. “Mama, do you remember when the Martin impostor came to town and I was forced to allow him to die in order to save Sheridan?”

“That man, whoever he was, was working in New Mexico for years using Papa's identity, his social security number. He came to Harmony and knew things about our family. He called me son, Mama” Luis said, emotion clear in his voice.

“I was beating myself up about being the cause of Papa's death. I cursed him for leaving us, for destroying our family and for hurting you. I was ashamed I ever called that man my father.” Luis paused taking a deep breath and then continued. “But you never lost faith Mama” Luis said, a small smile of respect appearing on his lips. You never doubted the integrity of the man who was your husband. You refused to believe that man was Papa even after he had the same scar behind his ear you remembered.”

“I just knew my Martin would never do the things this man did” Pilar said, tears pooling in her eyes. “Your father was a good man Luis. He didn't leave us because he wanted to. I know there was a good reason behind what he did. He did it to protect his family.”

“I know that Mama” Luis soothed. “It was your faith in Papa, your belief that this man wasn't Papa that convinced me to get the DNA test done. As it turned out, you were right. The man wasn't Papa. Even when all the evidence pointed to the fact he was. In your heart, you knew he wasn't the Martin Fitzgerald you knew.”

“Mama” Luis said very quietly taking his mothers hands in his. “It's the same for me. In my heart I know the woman that was cremated wasn't Sheridan. I don't care what the dental records and fingerprints showed. That woman was NOT Sheridan. Something inside of me would know if she were truly dead.”

“He wanted no evidence left behind. If Julian had succeeded in cremating that man's body, we'd never know the truth. I mean, we still don't know the truth about what happened to Papa, but we do know that man wasn't him. “

“Mama, I was devastated when I found out the dental records and fingerprints matched. I wanted to kill Julian on the spot for even suggesting they cremate Sheridan. He said it was Alistair's idea. “Burn the body and leave no evidence. No chance to dig up the body and do a DNA test on it.” Luis nodded towards his mother. She knew. She understood. “That woman is not Sheridan” he whispered.

Doc stood up after examining Sheridan. “She's fine” he assured an anxious Brian and Liz. “I think the memories she had caused an overload in her brain. I wish I could say this won't happen again, but I'm afraid it will. She's got a long road ahead of her and this will probably happen again as she struggles to regain her memory.”

“I wish she didn't have to suffer like this” Brian said. “Why couldn't she have just remembered everything at once or not remembered anything at all? Wouldn't that be easier?”

“Amnesia is a tricky thing Brian” Doc explained. “There are many different forms of it and it affects different people differently. “Diana endured a lot being out in the ocean for God knows how long. She suffered severe trauma. It's a miracle she survived at all. I told you at the time this woman has a will to live like I've never seen. If her will to live is so strong then it's only fitting that she'll have an equal determination to find out who she is.”

“Just what I said happened. I think Diana, or should I say Sheridan's brain was overloaded by memories from the past. It sounds to me like the rose Brian handed her was the trigger.”

Doc nodded. “Yes, I think she will. Sheridan's amnesia was triggered by severe trauma and most of the time it's completely reversible with time. Frankly I'm surprised she hasn't remembered more.”

“Yeah, you're probably right. Sheridan Crane has a fiancé who is absolutely crazy about her and from what I heard, the feeling was very mutual. She's going to want to go back to her life.”

“If only angel” Brian smiled wistfully as he gently stroked her blonde hair. “I know it's just a dream. A girl like you would never want to be with a guy like me.”

Sheridan stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Brian sighed. “Luis, huh? I don't know who this Luis guy is but if he has your heart, he's one lucky man.”

“Brian O'Leary!” Liz scolded. Brian whipped around finding Liz standing there with her hands on her hips staring at him like he was a small child just caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“I was going to tell you. I was going to tell Diana when she woke up.” Brian said. His cheeks burned red from embarrassment. Embarrassment at being caught lying as well as the guilt he felt for not telling his friends the truth.

Brian nodded his head and followed Liz away from Sheridan. He took one last longing look over his shoulder at the woman of his dreams, suddenly realizing once and for all, he never had a chance with her. It was just the fantasy of a lonely man.

Sam paced the floor in his office. “This is unbelievable,” he said. “Are you sure Sheridan was the intended target?” Sam asked. “Is it possible that Luis was the target or maybe the bomb was planted on the wrong boat?”

Hal frowned. “From what I can ascertain, the bomb was meant for both of them, Chief Bennett. I told you before there were remnants of the bomb found by our men in Bermuda.”

“Calm down? You come in here and tell me that the boat that exploding killing the fiancée of one of my best officers and that the FBI found remnants of the bomb with both their names on it and you want me to calm down? Don't you think Luis has a right to know about this?” Sam seethed.

Sam stared at Luis in shock. Shock that he'd walked in at that exact moment, but more than that was the look on his face. It was almost as if the old Luis was back.

“I came to ask for some time off” Luis stated, “but right now I want to know what I have a right to know.” Luis shifted his gaze from Sam to Hal. “What is it Agent Freeman. What do I have the right to know?”

Hal gave Sam one last look. He then turned his attention to the angry figure standing there in front of him with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “All right Luis. Yes, it does have something to do with Sheridan and you for that matter.”

“The boating accident was not an accident. There was a bomb planted on board and we found some remnants, one of which had your name and Sheridan's name on it.”

Hal proceeded to explain to Luis exactly what he'd told Sam. Luis listened carefully to every word. The more he heard from Hal, the more sure he was Sheridan was alive. He also had a pretty good idea who it was that wanted them dead.

Sam watched Luis carefully as he listened to Hal. He knew something was going on in Luis' head and patiently waited to hear what it was. When Hal finished telling his story, Sam asked Luis a question. “Luis, why is it you don't seem surprised by any of this?”

“No more interference from Sheridan's family, Julian wanting us to get married so badly he could taste it, Julian arriving in Bermuda while we were down there on our honeymoon, and the fact that Sheridan was identified and cremated within hours of finding the first unrecognizable dead woman at sea.”

“Julian and Alistair Crane are responsible for our boat blowing up” Luis began. “They tried everything to keep us apart and it didn't work, so the next logical step was to kill us. They didn't succeed and I made it back to shore bound and determined to find Sheridan if it was the last thing I did.”

Sam knew Julian and Alistair had done some despicable things, but this? He looked over at Hal hoping he thought Luis was as off the mark as he did, but Hal's expression was blank.

“Do you remember the impostor Sheridan and I unmasked the night of our engagement party?” Luis asked. “The one hired by Alistair and Julian to make Sheridan think I was cheating on her and then later that I was a woman beater?”

“That night, I told Julian that after I married Sheridan I was making it my business to investigate my father's disappearance and prove once and for all they were responsible. I vowed to make both Julian and his damned father pay for what they'd done to Papa and my family.”

“What the hell was I supposed to think after what I walked in on that night? Huh? What would you have done Sam if you found out someone had done that to you?”

Sam exhaled heavily. He knew Luis was right, but he also knew he was no match for Alistair and Julian Crane. “Luis, I understand why you did it, but threatening Julian and Alistair like that?”

“That's exactly why I think… scratch that. That's exactly why I know they are responsible for the bomb. Alistair and Julian are afraid of me and decided I needed to be dealt with once and for all.

“Why not Sam? He has no love for Sheridan. She's nothing but a headache to him. That's why he sent her off to Europe shortly after her mother died. I'm only sorry Sheridan had to endure this because of me. I love that woman more than anything in this world and it's killing me to think this is all my fault.”